


Conviction

by CarnivalofBrokenDolls (yourrhinestoneeyes)



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Gen, M/M, sort of alt timeline, timeline where Ed never finds out the truth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 09:25:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8573008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourrhinestoneeyes/pseuds/CarnivalofBrokenDolls
Summary: Oswald convinces himself that this is the way it should be, he needs to convince himself that this is the best way to get Ed to love him.





	

Lying to get what you wanted in life was fine, that was after all how Oswald became king of Gotham. He thought this to himself when Ed finally came back home, he entered the main room where the older man had been anxiously waiting for him all night. Ed came to him grinning like a mad man, there was a crazed yet innocent light in his beautiful brown eyes, blood soaked his white shirt and stained his face. 

“It’s done” he announced.

He welcomed it when Oswald wrapped his arms around his waist and held him close, he returned the embrace resting his chin on the other man’s shoulder. 

“He kept insisting that he knew nothing about Isabella, it’s like he thought I’m some kind of idiot.”

Oswald curled his fingers against the younger man’s back, he pulled back just enough to look up at him.

Ed’s smile was softer; it was genuine and loving. 

The kingpin couldn’t help, but to reach up and place a hand against his cheek, he wiped at the blood smearing it over his skin. Ed placed a hand over his, Oswald could almost feel the electricity of the moment.

“I’m proud of you”

It was okay.

Butch had been living on borrowed time anyways, he’d always followed his stupid heart more than his small brain. His loyalty to Penguin had died once he fell head over heels for the terror known as Tabitha. He convinced himself that this was fine, in a way Ed just got revenge for him as well.

“Do you think Isabella would be proud of me?”

He could feel himself tense, but he smiled anyway. “Yes, she would be very proud of you Ed.”

One day her face and name would be a forgotten ghost, Ed would stop loving her. Oswald repeated that to himself, he convinced himself that soon enough she would be in the past.

“I killed Tabitha as well.” Ed confessed, he moved his hand down to Oswald’s wrist lightly grasping it.

“What?”

“Butch took Isabella away from me and I know that Tabitha took your mother from you, I know that you probably wanted to be the one to do it, but I already had them both there and I just wanted to do that for you. I wanted to do it as a sort of thank you for everything you’ve done for me and so you know I still will do anything for you.”

Lying was fine, murdering was fine; between the two of them the pile of bodies was miles high. Their thrones sat atop a mountain of corpses, the two of them at the top as the reigning kings. The lying was fine, having Isabella was for the best, because if Oswald hadn’t had her killed then this moment never would have happened.

“Ed thank you, this means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

He would never know the truth, because if he had to then Oswald would put a hit out on every person who had even an inkling suspicion of the truth. He told himself that this was normal, this was alright, because it was in the name of love.

That night they shared a bed, not in the intimate way that Oswald had spent countless weeks fantasizing about, but in a consoling way. 

Ed slept pressed against his back, his arms were wrapped securely around the older man’s waist. Oswald felt comforted by the feeling of warm breath against the back of his neck, he didn’t know exactly how to proceed from here on out, but he would figure it out. He always tried to keep himself five steps ahead, but that was difficult when Ed was normally just two steps behind him, sometimes he was even ahead of him. He relied on his friend’s undying trust of him that this could last, that in time Isabella would be nothing, and in time Ed would be whispering ‘I love you’ against his lips.

Oswald fell into sleep convincing himself that this was fine and that his own parents would approve of what he was willing to do for love.


End file.
